Watson Relinquishes Major Role at Lab

By CAROL STRICKLAND

Published: March 21, 1993

"I WAS 25 and too old to be unusual," Dr. James D. Watson ended his memoir "The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA." Despite his resolve in a career spanning 40 years, the Nobel laureate, for a discovery that changed the course of biology, could not help being unusual.

The writer of five books and recipient of 15 honorary degrees and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Dr. Watson has directed the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for 25 years. Beginning next year, he will take over the new position of president of the laboratory.

As president, Dr. Watson, one of the most controversial scientists in the country, will probably be more active in fund raising, leaving recruiting and the directing of research to the new director, Dr. Bruce Stillman.

Scientists gathered at the lab this month to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, by Dr. Watson, then 25, and Dr. Francis H. C. Crick, who was 37 at the time of their breakthrough in 1953. They shared the Nobel in 1962 with Maurice H. F. Wilkins, a British scientist whose data reinforced the discovery.

One speaker after another praised their groundbreaking work and sketched the possibilities growing out of the discovery of the blueprint for heredity, from novel plants to gene therapy. The occasion highlighted not only Dr. Watson's achievements, but also the future for him and the institution with which he is identified. 'Most Golden of All Molecules'

Drs. Watson and Crick, estranged after "The Double Helix" in 1968, have reconciled. Dr. Crick had opposed the book's publication and threatened to sue for libel, because of its personal rather than scholarly tenor. A candid account of their pursuit of what Dr. Watson called "the most golden of all molecules," the book showed that self-interest as well as a search for truth motivated scientists.

The debunking of the myth of the selfless idealist aroused criticism from scientists. Even today some have reservations. By glorifying competition, "the book probably did a disservice to the profession," said Rich Roberts, director of eukaryotic research at the New England Biolabs in Beverly, Mass.

"I knew people would crucify me," Dr. Watson said, for mentioning "the whole question of ambition."

At the DNA birthday party, bygones were evidently bygone, however, as Dr. Crick joined in the tributes. Although known for refusing all requests for interviews, he participated in a news conference.

"Jim was the first person I met with the same set of interests," he said of their initial encounter, when Dr. Watson was a postdoctoral fellow and Dr. Crick was a graduate student in 1951. "Something about the way we thought about things resonated."

Without conducting a single experiment, the two solved the biggest scientific mystery of the age. Their discovery changed the world of biology as profoundly as did Darwin's theory of evolution or Mendel's explanation of heredity in the 19th century.

After the insight that the DNA molecule was shaped like a double helix linked by paired nucleotides, it was immediately obvious how the molecule reproduced itself and passed on hereditary traits. The insight started the field of molecular biology, which spawned the biotechnology industry and may lead to the diagnosis, prevention and cure of many hereditary diseases.

"The discovery was a major breakthrough in our understanding of life," said Bruce Alberts, president-elect of the National Academy of Sciences and a professor of biochemistry at the University of California in San Francisco. "It's hard to imagine another breakthrough in biology of that magnitude."

"I've had all these guilt feelings over the discovery," Dr. Watson said. "It's taken 40 years to feel I'm almost justified."

Drs. Watson and Crick instantly became the most famous living scientists. "Did Francis and I deserve the double helix?" Dr. Watson asked. "Yeah, we did."

Dr. Watson will begin as president at Cold Spring Harbor in January, when Dr. Stillman, now assistant director, succeeds him. Dr. Watson plans a six-month sabbatical to write his autobiography.

He gave a preview of the book in a speech reviewing the phases of his career, student, scientist, teacher, director, bureaucrat and writer. College Student at 15

Dr. Watson, who was born on the South Side of Chicago, said of his childhood, "I was born to like books, look at birds and to despise Republicans, which was a wonderful background." A precocious child who read The World Almanac for fun, the boy appeared on "The Quiz Kids" on radio and entered the University of Chicago at age 15. There he developed his lifelong habit of questioning orthodoxy. He graduated at 19, hoping to be an ornithologist.

"My greatest ambition had been to find out why birds migrate," Dr. Watson said. "It would have been a lost career. They still don't know."

After reading "What Is Life?" by Erwin Schrodinger, he decided to uncover what Dr. Crick called the "secret of life."

"Goodbye bird migration," he said, "and on to the gene." Paradise at Cold Spring Harbor